2 Michigan universities getting new sites for cybersecurity training

Two more universities in Michigan will be getting new sites for cybersecurity training, Gov. Rick Snyder said Monday.

The announcement came at the 2018 North American Cyber Summit in Detroit. Snyder said cyber range hubs at Northern Michigan University and at the University of Michigan-Flint will open within the next six months in partnership with Merit Network and the Michigan Defense Center.

The hubs provide space for cybersecurity training, business services and hands-on educational opportunities.

The Michigan Cyber Range is operated by Ann Arbor-based nonprofit Merit Network. It prepares cybersecurity professionals to detect, prevent and mitigate cyberattacks in a real-world setting. The new sites in Marquette and Flint will be the sixth and seventh additions to the Michigan Cyber Range.

Since 2015, the Michigan Defense Center/Michigan Economic Development Corp. has provided funding for cyber ranges in Battle Creek, a Macomb Oakland University Incubator in Sterling Heights, Pinckney Community High School, Wayne State University, West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology and at the Detroit Arsenal with U.S. Army TARDEC, according to a news release.